Leaked Audio Reveals Osborn Wants to Avoid Transgender Sports Issue in Bid to Win GOP Votes

by John Gage

(Picture credit Matt Johnson)

Independent U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn said he has avoided weighing in publicly on the issue of biological men playing in women’s sports because he is worried it could cost him Republican votes.

“The state is made up of 50% Republicans, 26% Democrat, and 24% Independents. So my win numbers, mathematically, I need to get 10 to 15% of Republicans to win this race,” Osborn said in audio obtained by The Plains Sentinel. “How am I going to do that, by f—-ing saying, ‘Oh, I love trans people, and they should be able to play in sports.’”

“Like, f—- no, Jane, that’s not how I win,” he added, in a criticism of Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb.

“I told the state party, Jane Kleeb, the state party chair. I said, ‘Jane, you gotta let me run my race, man.’ Like, I’m going to say some s— that is going to piss you off, but you gotta know at the end of the day it’s about beating Pete Ricketts. And it’s about how I beat Pete Ricketts,” Osborn said.

In a statement, Kleeb said the audio “shows that Dan doesn't answer to me. He answers to voters.”

“That is why we are supporting him. We choose a mechanic over the Billionaire Ricketts every day,” she added.

The comments come as the Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen announced on Friday that the Fairness for Girls initiative has qualified for the November ballot.

During a town hall in May, Osborn dodged a question posed by a mother and her daughter about whether he supported the petition effort.

“I would have to read the law, I’m not going to commit to signing a petition until I see the law written down on paper,” Osborn said.

The guest then offered Osborn a copy of the petition, asking him to read it.

“I’m not going to sit there and read that right now, but I will read it,” he said. “And if the law is not rooted in hate, and the law is not rooted in discrimination, and the law is rooted in fairness, I’m all there.”

The woman tried to continue pressing Osborn on the issue, but got shouted down by another member of the audience.

‘Does Not Surprise Me One Bit’

On Monday, The Plains Sentinel spoke with the woman, Missy Moses, and her daughter, Sophia, who confronted Osborn during his town hall.

Missy said she competed in swimming when she was in high school, and Sophia, who is sophomore in high school, had previously been an athlete. The pair said they had been collecting signatures for the petition as volunteers and wanted to be the ones to get Osborn to sign the petition.

“He said he’s an Independent and I thought, ‘Well, this seems like a pretty easy one — I want his name on my petition,’” Missy said, adding she was disappointed with how she was treated at the town hall. Both Missy and Sophia pointed to the crowd, which shouted down their question, which Sophia called “horrifying” and Missy said made them feel unsafe in the environment.

When asked about the audio of Osborn saying he was avoiding the issue, Missy said she is not surprised. “That does not surprise me one bit. Especially after what I saw. He was asked three or four questions at his Townhall. He didn’t answer any of them,” she said. “He talked in platitudes and generalities, and would not directly answer anybody’s question, except for mine. And that was the most outrageous answer, got a lot of reaction, screeches and yelling, And then they shut it down. I think everything this man does is fake.”

Osborn’s campaign did not return a request for comment at the time of publication.

‘Rooted in Fairness’ or ‘Rooted in Hate’?

In an August interview with KFAB hosts Scott Voorhees and Jim Rose, Osborn was asked to clarify where he stands on the issue of boys in girls’ sports.

“Unfortunately Dan, most people only see the ads, they see yours and they see Pete’s, and then they come away thinking, ‘Who is right?’” Rose said. “So, let’s just go down the list and have you give us a yes or no on some of this. Boys on girls’ teams?”

“No,” Osborn responded.

Voorhees asked Osborn to clarify comments he made that he would not support anything “rooted in hatred.”

“I also said in the same breathe that if it’s rooted in fairness, I’m for it. If it’s rooted in hatred I don’t want to do it,” Osborn said. “Our girls have spoken, 200,000 signatures have come in. This is about fairness on the girls’ playing field and on the court and on the field and their safety. And we should listen to them.”

— John Gage is the executive editor of The Plains Sentinel.